By: William “Buzz” Lance, Head of School
As I get ready for the holiday season and, in particular, this upcoming time of gratefulness, I’ve been pondering things I’m thankful for. I’m very blessed to say that the list of things that make my days brighter and my life fuller is long.
Of course, many of those wonderful things that fill me with gratitude have to do with South Baldwin Christian Academy (SBCA). Every aspect of our school gives me something to be thankful for.
As Head of School, I’m thankful for our staff and faculty, first and foremost. I’m grateful to have teachers on my team who show up every day and truly care about what they do and the families we serve. The quality and integrity of our SBCA faculty can hardly be overstated.
I’m also thankful for the parents and grandparents of our families. All year long, they trust us enough to send their precious kids to the academy. Not only that, but they contribute their time, energy and finances to make our school a better place. They involve themselves in the Parent-Teacher Association, give us their patience in person and their enthusiasm on social media… they even lay sod for our new playground.
I’m thankful for our generous donors, the academy’s champions and friends who have always believed in what we’re doing here. I’m grateful for every monetary contributor — from the parents who, when SBCA was only a handful of families, pooled what resources they had up to the namesake donors who’ve invested large sums into our children’s futures.
I’m also thankful for our fantastic facilities. We get to enjoy our learning and the world God created through our beautiful campus. From our newly-completed, park-like playground to our cutting-edge gymnatorium that provides an engaging place for our children to play inside. Not every Christian school gets facilities like ours, and I don’t take it for granted.
Finally, I’m thankful for our students. It fills me with gratefulness to know that these children attend here, and they’re not just learning academics. They apply themselves and excel in athletics; we had a great volleyball season and are kicking off an exciting basketball season. They’re making boxes (due soon, don’t forget!) to go overseas for Operation: Christmas Child.
Our students are learning that gratitude isn’t just saying thanks, but something we do from our hearts.
I’m sure our whole staff is thankful that our accreditation process is complete, and our whole student body is grateful for the entire week off coming around Thanksgiving! But for my part, I’m reminded of Paul’s gracious words in his letter to the Philippians:
“Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy…” —Philippians 1:3-4
